Why moving on from Stefon Diggs is the RIGHT MOVE for the Patriots

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1:02percent with automated rate shopping. That's why over 1 million small businesses trust stamps.com. Go to stamps.com and use code podcast to try stamps.com risk-free for 60 days. What's up, everybody? Welcome into the next Pat's podcast. I'm Phil Perry so much to get to on today's podcast. We are reacting to the Stefan Diggs release and what the patriots will do moving forward. Why in my opinion, this was the right move, but now the patriots have to act and have to act aggressively. We'll get to some details. There were also talking team building with two of our favorites from the check the mic podcast and the 33rd team Steve Palatolo and Sam Monster. We're actually talking to them separately. We wanted to get their separate takes. Those guys are attached to the hip. It feels like and you can hear all their combined takes on their podcast. So we bring them on to ours. We have separate one-on-one conversations. They're both tremendous. They both have fresh ideas for the patriots as they embark on the new league year and the start

2:06of free agency. We actually talked to them in Indianapolis. So you're going to hear us talk about things like what should the patriots do with Stefan Diggs. I think the insight that these guys share with us is still something that is worthy of your attention. So we're going to get those entire conversations. We're going to hear from Steve Palatolo, for example, describe what the patriots should do if and when they part with Stefan Diggs. He's going to give you one draft name that he really loves and he and I are of a similar mind when it comes to that. You're going to hear Sam Watson talk about Christian Gonzalez. Boy massive trade in the NFL. You just saw Trent McDuffy go from Kansas City to LA for a huge, huge haul. That make anybody think that maybe just maybe the patriots should think about dealing their own top defensive back. I am not one of those. I believe the patriots should sign Christian Gonzalez and keep him here at long term. It's exactly what you want. You drafted the guy. He's played great. You should be trying to keep him here for the long haul. But what does Sam Watson think? So some great, great discussions there with two really,

3:07really bright guys. But first, let's start with our reaction to the Stefan Diggs release. In my opinion, this is the right move. And I'll tell you why, after having spoken to a number of different evaluators in Indianapolis, executives, scouts, coaches, the consensus was that Diggs would not be back on the salary that he was set to make in 2026. And when you have these conversations, does the cap come up? Yes, it comes up. To me, cash is the more significant number. He was set to make over $20 million, almost $21 million in base salary. And that's not an exorbitant number for a guy who just gave you a thousand yard season. The market has changed 20, 20 million, excuse me. It doesn't buy you what it used to. And so at that position in 2026, 20 million for a guy that you're going to depend on to move the chains for you, not the worst thing in the world. But he's about to be 33 years old. And as one general manager told me, he's a one-year guy at the stage of his career. Doesn't mean he couldn't still have something left in the tank. Doesn't mean he won't go somewhere next year and be productive. But he's the kind of guy you

4:11bring in to help get your program off the ground. And you lean on him and you get to wherever you get to with him. And you hope it goes great. And it went as well as it could have gone for the New England Patriots in my opinion in 2025 with Dix. But you don't build around him. You don't make him a foundational piece because of where he's at in his career. And quite frankly, the Patriots need to upgrade there as good as his numbers were. He disappeared in the postseason, didn't crack 40 yards in any of their four postseason games. And you need someone for Drake May who can uncover in any situation against type man coverage, double teams at times. You need the type of true number one or something that more closely approximates the number one. Then what digs was giving you last year, which is a very reliable, dependable interior zone sitting slot receiver. So they need to upgrade there. Now they have freed up 20 million in cash to go spend either at that receiver position or somewhere else. So to me, this is the right move. But in order

5:12for you to capitalize on making the right move, you now have to go and find the next guy. And I think again, when you talk about the initial step here of walking away from digs, one of the reasons that I find it a refreshing move in some ways on the Patriots part is that it does show some level of assertiveness of aggressiveness when it comes to your team building process. And when I say that, I mean, on paper, if you were to keep Stefan digs around, that would look pretty good. You could do it well into the offseason. You could still have your eyes out for guys who might shake free, maybe trade possibilities. You could be looking in the draft for the next one. But all the while, you know, you've got Stefan digs and that thousand yard receiving number from 2025 on your books. And it looks good on paper. But if you're being honest with yourselves, you know, you needed more. And you know, there is some level of likelihood that he's not giving you what he gave you last season or that he's not even on the field as

6:15much as he was last season. And I know he's another year removed from that knee injury. And so who knows, maybe it'll play 17 games and he'll have another thousand yard season, hundred catches next year. Impossible for me to say. But I think you're making the aggressive and assertive roster choice here by forcing yourselves to go get something else. Now I think it becomes imperative that you upgrade. And that's the approach you should be taking if you're the New England Patriots. If he was just there would be nice. It's a fall back. It's safe. Right. Now this is forced growth that you're putting yourselves through. And you freed up that cash. And so whether it's to trade for AJ Brown or it's to sign Alec Pierce or it's to do something else, you are now making yourselves uncomfortable to a degree in order that you can down the line. And if you're the Patriots, you hope it's soon down the line. Improve one of the most important position groups on your team. So now what do they do that digs is gone. To me, option number one, and I'll rank them for you because who does love a good

7:19ranking? Option number one should be Alec Pierce. 26 years old, one of the best and most efficient deep threats in football, great hands near the top of the league in terms of converting deep targets into catches. Very few drops over the course of the last couple of years. And think about the quarterbacks. He has been seeing those deep targets from over the course of his career. You're talking about Riley Leonard. You're talking about Philip Rivers, talking about Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones, Joe Flacco, not exactly a murderer's role. Ladies and gentlemen, so this is one of the rare opportunities in my opinion and free agency where you could actually get a guy and you're not buying high, so to speak, right? You could actually project out improvement from a statistical standpoint, from a production standpoint based on the quarterbacks he has been working with and based on the quarterback that he would be working with here in New England. So 47 catches, thousand yards last year. Good numbers. Not necessarily going to blow you away. And I'm not

8:24sure. Quite frankly, I'm not sure he's a true quote unquote number one. Because to me, he's your outside the numbers guy. You're throwing it to him down the field. You're running him on comebacks. You're running him on the occasional dig, but posts fades down the field. And that's going to have a ton of value with Drake May. Is he a true number one? Like you throw it up to him in any situation. He'll be paid like one. I'm not sure he's that guy. But I'd rather have him then Stefan Diggs. I'd rather have him than AJ Brown. He only costs money. And it might be quite a pretty penny, but it's only money. AJ Brown, meanwhile, he would be my number two option. He's going to cost you picks. And there's a trade that just went down as we're recording here. DJ more to the bills. It sounds like it's essentially a second round pick that the bills are giving up to acquire more. They're also getting a fifth rounder back from Chicago. But let's say it's essentially the value of a second round pick. Number one. Okay, I think that's actually pretty good for the Patriots because Jonathan Jones from CBS does a great job. Actually had looked at the

9:27Patriots as a potential landing spot for DJ more. If he was going to be traded, I didn't love that fit. DJ more didn't really mesh well with the young quarterback in Chicago. He has had a lot of questions about his effort on the field. I don't think that would mesh with Mike variable. So I think in that sense, this is good for the Patriots that they aren't forced to try to go get a guy like DJ more because they struck out elsewhere. That's number one. Number two, this might take the bills out of the veteran receiver market, whether it's AJ Brown or paying for Alec Pierce. And to me, that's significant guys because outside of Josh Allen, is there another quarterback in the NFL, and the NFL, excuse me, that you had certainly rather work with than Drake May. Yeah, maybe put Joe burrow Patrick my homes. But we're talking about these teams that are that are looking for maybe the same kind of receiver that the Patriots are. Josh Allen, you probably put at the top of the list and then Drake may somewhere soon thereafter. Maybe put Lamar Jackson just because of his track record ahead of Drake May. He's missed time of late. You know, I don't know how that passing game is going to look moving forward. But be that as it may. If the bills are removed from the equation

10:32to me, now you are near the top of the list of quarterback teams that veteran receivers want to work with. That's a good thing. What might not be great for the Patriots when it comes to this trade is a second round pick for DJ more means what for AJ Brown? What is the realistic return for AJ Brown? Now reportedly the Eagles are seeking a first and a second round pick. I don't think that's going to happen. But if DJ more got a second, AJ Brown, who's the same age has to be worth a first, right? Or you're talking a second and a future second or you're talking a second and a third. And that to me is relatively rich. It might be a little too rich for the New England Patriots as much as Mike variable likes AJ Brown. And as much as I think AJ Brown will work in this offense with Drake May. That to me would be option two. But because the draft capital going away, I don't love it. If you're the Patriots, I think you should be trying to hold on to that number 31 overall pick and getting the Morgan Moses replacement of the future or maybe it's a young

11:33receiver to pair with somebody like Alec Pierce, maybe to starting level edge rusher in a deep edge rushing class. That to me would be preferred over AJ Brown. So I go Alec Pierce one, AJ Brown and then I'm going three. I'm going the draft. I'm not going Mike Evans. I'm not going anybody else in free agency. You know, as a Calvin Ridley, we could talk about a Brian Thomas trade, I'm not sure how realistic that is. But I would be looking at the draft and I'd be looking at using that number 31 overall pick on whether it's Denzel Boston as an ex, whether it's Omar Cooper as a Z. We're going to hear a little bit more about Omar Cooper very shortly in this podcast, whether it's Casey Concepcion as an interior explosive playmaking threat. There are some real players there at the bottom of the first round at that receiver position. So that would be my third option, but I go Pierce Brown and then I'd be going to the draft, no matter which way they prioritize things. You can be sure the Patriots are prioritizing bringing in better weapon reforge drake may. They attacked that position again and again and again last off season and they struck out.

12:38Until they were able to land a deal with Stefan Diggs, but he was not their first second or third choice, right? Chris Godwin told them, no, they were looking at somebody like a DK Metcalf and making a trade for him, but they were told DK Metcalf, he ain't signing with you. So you're not going to want to trade what Seattle's going to require in a trade for DK Metcalf, totally have the guy be there for a short stay. So they had a number of different avenues to attack. They couldn't make any of them work out and I know at the time their thinking was, okay, fine. We will win and people will want to play for us moving forward. Now, I don't think they knew that they were going to win as much as they did in 2025, but boy, did that premonition come to fruition. Now you're looking at a team that I think veteran players of all stripes, receivers, ed rushers, et cetera, et cetera, would be looking at as a legitimate destination.

13:39At Amika Insurance, we know it's not just about where you're going, but who you go with. That's why we work even harder to protect what matters most. Visit Amika.com and get a quote today. Shipping, building, admin, payroll, marketing, you're managing all the things. So why waste time sending important documents the old fashioned way. Mail and ship when you want, how you want, with stamps.com. Print postage on demand 24.7 and schedule pickups from your office or home. Save up to 90% with automated rate shopping. That's why over 1 million small businesses trust stamps.com. Go to stamps.com and use code podcast to try stamps.com risk-free for 60 days. All right, for more on the team building process, what the Patriots should be looking to do. Let's fire these conversations up. These are from Indy. So these were done last week. So again, we're going to be talking a little bit about digs, a little bit about overall team building,

14:40and what the Patriots approach should be. Some very, very interesting names here that we're going to get to with both Steve Palazolo and then we'll play our interview with Sam Monson. And we will talk to you next time here on NextPats with a lot of free agency news to throw at you. Very happy to have with us now on NextPats. Steve Palazolo, 33rd team, check the mic podcast. Steve, thanks for being with us here in beautiful Indianapolis. Of course, this is my favorite week of the year. This is like the big NFL reunion lot going on. So it's big week. There is a lot going on and we need to ask you about what might be going on with the Patriots because this is the week where we start to hear scuttlebutt on what they might be doing in free agency, what they might be doing with their own guys. And the biggest name among all of the potential checklist items for them to tend to this off season is Stefan Diggs. Stefan Diggs, big base salary coming up in 2026. He's getting deeper into his 30s. He'll be further removed from the knee injury that he suffered in Houston. But if you're New England, you know, you've got a young

15:42quarterback who trusted Stefan Diggs quite a bit this past season. What would you be doing with the veteran receiver? I think I'm moving on at this point from Stefan Diggs. I think you say thanks for what you did. You helped get our year two quarterback, moved him along, gave him some confidence. We saw that way back with Reggie Wayne helping Andrew Luck before he retired. There's a reason why Diggs is kind of run himself out of a few different cities as well. And there's a reason why the Houston Texans said we'll just take one year as Stefan Diggs instead of multiple years. So I think it's probably time. And that's, you know, it's a little scary in that, hey, how do you replace a guy who is a true number one, right? Get's open, gets open down the field. I can win inside, win on the outside and was a key player. But I think you have to probably move on at this point. A pre-June one release saves them almost $17 million according to over the cap. In terms of, you know, the cash you might be saving. He is due or he is scheduled to have $6 million of his $20 million base salary for this upcoming season become fully guaranteed for injury on March 13th, which I believe is two or three days into the new lead year. So if you're

16:46moving on, how are you rebuilding around Drake May? And are you looking at that offensive line first? Because of what happened in the Super Bowl? Are you looking at weapons and saying, boy, he needs more juice there? What are you doing if you're Elliot Wolf and Mike Vrywell? So I would explore all the NFL centric options. I know the AJ Brown trade rumors and all those types of things. Explore all those options. You got to start there. NFL centric meaning not drafts. Yeah, as in like current NFL players, there's not a massive hall of free agent receivers, but there's a decent group. Again, not someone maybe at digs level, but explore the free agent market, explore the trade market. I think from an offensive line perspective, veterans, I think a guy like Isaac Sayamalu coming from the Steelers as just a dependable left guard, you move Jared Wilson into center. So I think a veteran upfront. And I think the draft could be nice in the back end of the first round for receiver. Yeah, I look at the draft and there's some interesting fits there. And I know there's one name in particular that you really like that. I really like that. I don't want to ask you about in a bit, but you mentioned Sayamalu.

17:48There are a handful of guards that look like they'll be a available and be had plenty of experience and it could be helpful. What makes Sayamalu an interesting guy for you? He's always been a really good pass protector going all the way back to college. He was playing a little bit of left tackle. He's just good in pass pro and he's just been a good dependable pro. And every year that I do my free agent work, I find those offensive linemen. Morgan Moses was my guy the last couple of years where I'm just like, listen, I know you want to get younger. I know you want to draft and develop players. But Morgan Moses, the last couple of years I kept saying this guy will give you two or three years of dependable play at right tackle, at a reasonable price. He's good for every NFL team. Kevin Zitler at right guard has been that guy the last couple of years. I think Sayamalu probably falls into that bucket. Just veteran, you know what you're going to get dependable play and you don't have to spend 18 to 20 million dollars as some of the younger guards were going for last year. Morgan Moses gave them a really solid year at right tackle in 2025. Would you do it again? Would you run it back with Morgan Moses or are you

18:48looking for? Is there a cost effective dependable option in free agency or would you be looking at the draft for that position? What are you doing if you're the patriot? I like bringing Moses back. I mean, my whole theory going into the draft is you get in there with as few needs as possible. So if you do say, hey, look, Morgan Moses is our right tackle. And listen, we saw it happen. Will Campbell last year, the number four overall pick is going to have some growing pains at times. So if you just go the draft route on the offensive line, it's a little bit riskier. You go dependable Morgan Moses. And if the right guy is there late first or developmental tackle in the second round, you do that, right? And you say, okay, now we're building for the future and we have a dependable starter. But if they can go into the draft with five starters, they feel good about on the offensive line. That's the best way to go. And they do have Ben Brown in the mix there. Would they resigned during the season this past season? He started for them at guard before he started at center two years ago and has given them some really valuable snaps. And so maybe between, okay, Will Campbell left tackle Ben Brown, Jared Wilson. Maybe it's say Amalu.

19:48Say Amalu. Say Amalu. You know, I guess they could bring back Garrett Bradbury. But if you want to move, Jared Wilson to that center spot, maybe you're moving on there. And then you bring back Owen and Morgan Moses. That's a five that you could lean on initially. And then you can go from there and develop mental offensive lineman beyond that, who don't have to step in and play. And that's been the issue the last couple of years when you have to force young players into the lineup. You're so great about looking at the draft and looking at the guys that are coming up. Can I throw an offensive lineman question? Are there guys that you like that would be in that Patriots range because it does feel like tackle and actually specifically right tackle oddly. There's a number of different guys that could be available to them, whether it's first or second round that might ultimately be started. The the offensive tackles that come to mind right now are in mock drafts who are getting drafted late in the first. Always tend to move up. I'm talking guys like Monroe Freeling from Georgia. You're starting to see him creep up higher and higher and some of the national mock drafts where he's going at 17 or maybe in the top 15 because he's

20:49he's going to be huge. He's going to measure well and test well here at Indianapolis, but he's a developmental type of prospect. I think he'd be a great developmental right tackle. Completely different body type from Will Campbell, but play right tackle. Caleb Lomu from Utah. This might scare Patriots fans a little bit, but he has some reps where he just gets beat. He gets beat pretty clearly, cleanly like Will did this year, but I think his potential is through the roof because he's just a red shirt sophomore. So that's why I'm saying if you can get the online intact, I think Lomu two years from now is a fantastic NFL starter. So if you have if you feel like you have the luxury of developing an offensive lineman, letting him sit for a couple of years, I think he could be a great option. Now we haven't really figured out if they do end up moving on from Stefan Diggs. And this is a Steve Palazolo plan. By the way, this is the blueprint that Steve's now laying out for us is going to go everywhere. It's going to go viral. You've you've they copied Morgan Moses last year. So they they're going to follow they're going to be adhering to every single detail that you lay out for us here. If Diggs does go, then what do you do? Because you have pop Douglas on the roster. Still he, you know, we all thought

21:54was sort of going to be the slot dynamo of the future. They have Keishan Boone and Kyle Williams. Those are really more ex types of receivers. Matt Collins maybe is kind of like a big slot. You know, they we've seen him used almost as like a tight end at times in Josh McDaniel's offense. But are you looking for a Diggs type to sort of live in the middle of the field for Drake May? Well, the draft prospect I love, especially at 31 is Omar Cooper from Indiana. So, you know, no matter how they look, you got to explore free agency for sure. I think Cooper in the back end of the first round would be great value and fit. I mean, right now he's projected to go in the second round. I think the more we hear from what the NFL likes as far as or where the rumors about, you know, where he is on draft boards. I think people are going to love Omar Cooper who is excellent ball skills. He's great after the catch dynamic player. And he's just got toughness to him, which reminded me of he's not small, but some of the smaller receivers historically, like the Steve Smiths, the Julian Edelman's who just go get it and get after it and have just tenacious with the ball in the air. That's Omar Cooper. I think he'd be a great fit.

22:57It's a lot of dependency on the young receivers. Booty is still young. Kyle Williams is still young. So you still want to get a veteran presence in there. But if they go the draft road, I love a guy like Omar Cooper late first. I love Cooper too. And you were there first. You're on him first. I know that's Steve. I want to give you credit there. But I just, I watch him and I notice the physicality with which he plays. And I feel like Vrable would really love that. It's going up and getting the football, but you'll see him block. You see him create yards after the catch and break tackles. It just feels like for sort of a blue collar guy like Mike Vrable, he does a lot of things that Vrable would appreciate. And that's what caught my eye when I first watched him last summer. He's averaging over 22 yards per reception. But it was, you know, going up to get the ball, making big plays. And then he became more, you know, bigger part of that Indian offense with Fernando Mendoza, not even the number one, necessarily. But I do think it ends up getting drafted higher than Elijah Sarat, who is making plays on the other side. Yeah. And sort of a contested catch guys. Yeah. If you're looking for an ex receiver out there, maybe Sarat is a name to know. I want to do really quickly. Good idea, bad idea. Okay. Yeah. A quick little rapid fire type of segment here.

23:58The Patriots trading for Max Crosby. Good idea, bad idea. Always depends on the price. But it's the first rounder and a second rounder. Let's go with the Aquinin Williams. First and seconds, a bad idea. That's a bad idea. At this point, I think there's a slight decline in Max Crosby from a top five, six edge rusher to maybe he's only 10, 15, which is a great player. That's risky. I think, listen, here's the biggest mistake the Patriots could make this year, say, we're a Super Bowl team. We're a player away. That's the biggest mistake they could make is saying we're a player away. They were in still in a rebuilding year. And it was great that they made the Super Bowl, but they should still treat it like it's a rebuild and that they still have more than one hole to fill. I agree with you. Next one, though, is going to be a little lesser name, same position. Jalen Phillips, signing Jalen Phillips and free HD. Good idea, bad idea. That's a good idea. I like Jalen Phillips. I think you can get him cheaper than giving up draft picks. It might be a pretty penny, but I think you've got the cap space. I think that is a very good investment. The risk there is only two out of his five seasons. He's played more than 800 steps. So the injury concerns as a player, good idea. If the injuries don't check out,

25:01you stay away from that. Flip it over to the other side of the wall. A lot of offensive line talk here with Steve Palazzo. Look at that. Elijah Vera Tucker, signing Elijah Vera Tucker. Stilt with injury as well. But maybe a position of positional flexibility. Good idea, a bad idea for the Patriots. If you can get him coming off the injury in a serious by-low because he was a very good starter for the Jets. He's a dabbled at left tackle. He could play both guard spots. I think the positional versatility is huge. So that's a good idea. Again, it'll come down to the price. Hopefully you can get that a little bit cheaper because he's coming off the triceps injury, but I think that's a good idea. Okay, last one. This is one of their own. Paying Christian Gonzalez slightly more than what Saskarnor got. Good idea, bad idea. I'm good with that. I think that's a good idea. You lock up Christian Gonzalez. I think you want to keep. They'll need to replace Carl and Davis on the other side in the next year or two. Keep Marcus Jones. Have him locked up for the next couple of years. You don't want to get depleted at the cornerback position. If you have a young cornerstone like Christian Gonzalez, you keep him around. There you have it. Some high-level thoughts there from Steve Palsola.

26:04Steve, thanks for being with us. Thank you. Hey, this is Will Arnett, host of Smartless. Smartless is a podcast with myself and Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman, where each week one of us reveals a mystery guest to the other two. We dive deep with guests that you love like Bill Hader, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Aniston, David Beckham, Kristen Stewart, and tons more. So join us for a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the Smartless mind. Listen to Smartless now on the serious XM app. Download it today. Taxes was feeling unwelcome. Now Taxes is an open door. Literally, to new TurboTax stores, meet our experts in person. Hi, welcome in. They're powered by SmartTek and ready to do your taxes for you. Get real-time updates while you go about your day. Confident your taxes are done right.

27:07Now, this is taxes into a TurboTax. TurboTax stores opening soon. Real-time updates only in iOS mobile app. All right, very, very, very happy to have with us now Sam Watson, 30, 30 team, check the mic podcast with the great Steve Paletzolo as well. Make sure you're listening to that. Thanks, Sam. Thanks for being with us here. No problem. Thanks for having me again. Let's talk a little free agency. Let's look ahead. The Patriots, they have all kinds of cap space to play with. Once again, in the top half of the league, they have spent over the course of last couple off seasons. I'm curious if that might get dialed back based on how they have spent their cash of late, but the first thing I wanted to ask you, before they get into the pool of available free agents, they might want to play one of their best players, which is Christian Gonzalez. He's eligible to be extended for the first time. Would you have any reservations at all in terms of paying him at the top of the market at that position? No, I mean, I think the only concern you would have would be injuries, right? Like it's a medical thing. If your doctors are happy that they've just been a run of injuries or that he's not an injury prone player,

28:10if such a thing exists, and he's an elite caliber cornerback. His coverage skills are spectacular. I didn't love him as much as a lot of other people did coming out, but he was a better athlete than he was a technician and an actual fundamental football player, but he's become that in New England. So at that point, you've got the athlete, you've got the guy with amazing movement skills, and the football player, the only concern is he's had some injuries and dealt with that. If you're happy that that's not a long-term problem, then pay them at any difference to you, whether or not they do it tomorrow, early, maybe even before free agents, the opens, or sometimes we see these things extend into a player who's on his rookie contract, his fourth season. Sometimes it's right on the eve of the regular season. It doesn't matter to you one way or the other, because I guess you could make the case that how they spend on him or how they're planning on spending on him could impact what they're able to do with your new players coming into their program. Yeah, I mean, I think generally the earlier you get the deal done from a team point of view, the better. The only risk in those situations is, did you pay too early and then suddenly he's

29:14not the player you thought he was. I don't think that's a real risk with Christian Gonzalez, so the earlier you get it done, you know what you're dealing with, the numbers probably lower, the earlier you get it done, the longer these things last, the more you kind of assume the players got some leverage, particularly if you get into, you know, more football where he plays well again. So yeah, the earlier the better I think that they can get it done, because yeah, it just, it sets the table. You know what you have left. You know the kind of money you're dealing with. You know what you have left to spend, not just now, but in the future and plan for beyond, get it done. I know you're digging into guys that could should be available in free agency. Let's say on that side of the ball for the Patriots, potentially, because I know they know they need edge defending help. And we've talked a lot about Max Crosby. I don't know if you feel about Max Crosby, but are there free agents? That obviously would be a trade. Are there free agents saying that stick out to you that might fit their list of preferences? It was interesting. We heard from Elliot Wolf yesterday talking about speed, first step, quickness, explosiveness. There was not a lot of, you know, we're used to the Bill Belichek edge defenders in New England. You didn't hear anything about

30:17two-gapping or, you know, stopping the run on first and second down. So are there guys that pop to mind for you that are in this free agent class that might fit that mold? There's not too many. The guy that jumped out when, you know, I was thinking about that list of criteria, Malcolm Coons, also at the Raiders actually. He was a guy. He's not coming off the best year. It's not a huge sample size of him being amazing, but he did at least show, you know, on his tape a while ago, that ability to be quick, twitch, get a ton of pressure, you know, really be at that kind of situational designated posture type and, you know, really apply pressure pretty consistently. And that's, again, that's not a huge name. So if they are going to be dialing back the spending to a degree, maybe I like that name because that's, okay, we're going to attack a premium position with a guy that we think has potential and maybe he could exceed, you know, what we end up paying him on his free agent contract, which is usually not the case, right, when you're dipping into the free agent waters, you know, you're going to be overpaying, you might not get the return that the money would suggest. Right, but I think that's where the smart money is generally in the NFL, but in particular, this year as well. It's not, you know, I think teams are getting better and better at managing

31:21free agency, you know, generally as a concept. So you're not really getting to these free agent periods where the first five guys are all all pros, you know, superstar names, you're getting resetting market money. Those deals are happening internally. It's the Christian Gonzalez is the world, you know, those are the contracts that are resetting the market now. And the people that are hitting free agency, they're that mid tier of player, which doesn't mean they're not good. It just means they're not the superstars, but you can go out there and if you have a ton of money to spend, you can bring in a lot of players that will make a big difference to your roster. You're just not getting, you know, the complete transformative superstar. Okay, well, so maybe this conversation applies at the receiver position. Definitely, you know, they need weapons. They might be, I think there's the potential for a move away from Stefan Diggs, given he's going to be 33 years old and they set to make a lot of money. Any name stand out to you, whether it's a Diggs replacement, Sam, or, you know, I know some people still feel like they need that big body, Dexter, super Drake Bay likes to throw the ball down the field. So either one of those sort of prototypes are their names that stand out to you. I think they've received a group this year is actually really nice. There's a lot of names.

32:23I think there will be very good players on roster. Alex Pierce is the guy everyone's going to talk about. I don't know if the culture can let him hit the market if they're going to put the franchise tag on him, or if they want to keep that for Daniel Jones and, you know, run the risk that Alex Pierce hits the market, he's the guy I think that everyone will cover it. Like, that'll be the hot name if he makes the market, just inevitable 50 yard catch every single week for the Colts. But Rashid Shaheed showed the kind of impact he could make this year for the Seahawks when they traded for him. Dude's got amazing speed, amazing quickness, again, vertical ability, and, you know, some return game skills as well, punt return ability. And then, John Jennings for the 49ers. This is a guy coming out of that 49ers offense. He's one of the best blocking wide receivers in the NFL. You know, there are coaches that love that. But also, I think he's shown if you elevate him to a higher spot on your depth chart, like he's been buried on that 49ers depth yard behind just so many talented players, but they show that once you give him the role and say, all right, you're the number two now. You're the number one in a given week. He can produce. He can be a high-end wide receiver for you. So I think John Jennings is a perfect

33:26receiver who is, you know, primed for a better role somewhere else now that he can be a bigger part of the offense. That was the name I hadn't really considered all that much, but thinking about the fit. I think it could work for the Patriots. You know, Alec Pierce, obviously, if they could get that big down the field type of guy, that would be fine. They do have Keishan Booty on a rookie contract. He kind of plays the same position, very different body types, but they're both ex-receivers. He's like, Kyle Williams, who's a smaller guy. I think people may be like, think sought-receiver when they see Kyle Williams. That's really not what he is. So Jennings, to me, is the guy and a guy who would be willing to block that Josh McDaniels, you know, really would value in that regard that that could end up being a nice fit. And works the middle extremely well, you know, fearless of the middle. Happy to take big hits at any time to make a catch. Like he's, I think you'd be a great fit for them. Okay. Let's talk a little bit in terms of the potential trademark, because you made a great point earlier in terms of it, teams just aren't letting good players get to free against anymore. So that means either draft or potentially trade.

34:28I mentioned Max Crosby earlier. Where do you stand on that being a good or bad move, potentially for New England? Max Crosby is a great player. I don't think I would want to trade for him just because of the cost. You know, it's probably going to be two first round draft fix and maybe some more. At this point in his career with the injury history he's had, he's played through a lot of injuries as well. Like he's been this Ironman for the Raiders. You see these pictures in his Instagram or like midweek, the man's knees, the size of Nebraska. It's like, look, that's great. It's Ironman stuff. It's like gritty. It's phenomenal for his legacy. But how many years can you do that without it taking a toll on you? I wouldn't want to be trading for that guy and said, all right, go out there and be the Max Crosby you've been for the rest of your career because you need to be now with what we just gave up for it. Any players at that position? Again, trade is hard sometimes too because it's not like, you know, premier pass referees are necessarily going to be available in trades all the time. Jaylen Phillips, we saw it get traded last year itself. Who knows any names that stand out to you whether it's at that edge spot or maybe receiver tackles another place that even the Patriots would acknowledge. Now, that's a need for us right now. Yeah, tackles tough because as you say,

35:31you know, there's a shortage of them anyway. You've got a good one. You're probably not letting them go. Though, you know, the rumors that trend rich or trend Williams rather might hit free agency if they can't agree on a number. That would be interesting to at least talk about from their point of view. Receiver market is kind of interesting because you've got disgruntled AJ Brown and Philadelphia. You've got the absolute wild card that is Brandon IU coming out of San Francisco where that's the top 10 talent that receiver albeit one who just went completely off the reservation and like down tools after getting paid, which is like so unusual. I can't even understand what the what the end game is with that. And then the really interesting name I think is Brian Thomas Jr. from the from Jacksonville. I were a year removed from him looking like he was going to be the next superstar wide receiver and all of a sudden it's like actually maybe it doesn't even fit in this offense and the Jacksonville might be amenable to a trade for him. Sam, I would be remiss if I didn't give you an opportunity to to look into the camera there and talk to all the Patriots face. Might have given you a hard time after your MVP vote was published by yourself. You were very open

36:35about you voted for Justin Herbert. I believe Drake May was third on your ballot. If you did the math, which I think you pointed out, it wasn't like you know your vote because you wouldn't end up voting for Stafford if it wasn't. Yeah, no matter where my vote went, it wasn't enough to sway it. Yeah. But now that we've seen the Super Bowl and the way that the Super Bowl played out, I feel like I have to kind of give you an opportunity to, you know, yeah, and stick your finger at people's faces. My mention's got a lot quieter. It's the Super Bowl when I will say that. The only point I would make is, you know, that Super Bowl was basically a good day at the office for the Chargers' offensive line this season, right? That's what Justin Herbert has been dealing with all through this season. And for him to even be posting a league average offensive production, that's the kind of value I'm talking about, right? Now you could argue, maybe Drake May, maybe Matthew Stafford, maybe they'd have been able to do the same thing in the same circumstance. I don't know if that's true. My point is, I think Herbert deserved recognition for that. And I think that's the most valuable player in the NFL this year. What I said immediately when we found out who you voted for, I said, save is not the kind of guy who's just going to make

37:38a vote just to make a vote and try to be different, but it's a ton of thought into it. I said, it's time I disagreed with your thinking, but you have to respect the man's thinking. I respect you for spending time with us here today. Sam, thanks for reading. Anytime. It's great to talk to you in. Finding the music you love shouldn't be hard. That's why Pandora makes it easy to explore all your favorites and discover new artists and genres you'll love. Enjoy a personalized listening experience simply by selecting any song or album and we'll make a station crafted just for you. Best of all, you can listen for free. Download Pandora on the Apple App Store or Google Play and start hearing the soundtrack to your life.